Unknown Secrets of Life
by Banger
Summary: Set 17 years after the fire a young woman named Erin comes to the Opera house to out run her past although little does she or Erik know, her past lies within the Opera Populaire itself....(ALW 2004 movie based) EC (in flashbacks)


Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera or any of its characters (although I would gladly lock Gerard Butler in my closet. .). All rights go to ALW, Joel (can't spell last name), and all the other authors who have contributed to the tale over the past 50 years.

**_Title: _**Unknown Secrets

**_Author: _**Bee

**_Summary: _**Set 17 years after the fire a young woman named Erin comes to the Opera house to outrun her past although little does she or Erik know, her past lies within the Opera house itself…..(ALW 2004 movie based) EC (in flashbacks)

Prologue

_Nighttime sharpens_

_Heightens each sensation _

_Darkness stirs and wakes imagination_

_Silently the senses abandon their defenses…_

She sat in the boat, mesmerized by the man that called himself the Angel of Music. He had sung to her in her sleep for years, bringing her dreams alive with his voice. As she grew older he had began teaching her how to sing, how to make her voice soar through the heavens and yet grip itself into the hearts of her listeners. She had confided into no one about her secret tutor except Madam Giry, who had then told her that her 'tutor' was in fact the infamous Phantom of the Opera, or the Opera Ghost as many had nicknamed him.

But she wasn't blind. She had grown up listening to the many horror tales of the Opera Ghost, a man who some said was neither living nor dead; a man who hid in the shadows because of shame; a man who had been known to murder those who tried to learn his identity. At first Madam Giry's confession about the secret tutor had frightened a young Christine, barely 11 at the time, but as the years passed her voice grew and her trust in the Phantom strengthened, and her desire to understand a man who sung like one of heaven's angels heightened.

_Slowly, gently_

_Night unfurls its splendor_

_Grasp it, sense it_

_Tremulous and tender_

_Turn your face away from the careless light of day…_

He stood on the bank of his lair singing, his trained vocal cords never quivering despite the series of emotions that ran through him. She was here, the little girl who had captured his eye with her voice but who had grown into the beautiful woman who now held his heart, and she had come of her own accord. Yes, he had at first subjected her to the dark beauty of his voice but she had willingly put her hand in his at the entrance to the double mirror in her dressing room….she had trusted him.

He walked towards her, his voice rising in strength.

_Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling nights_

_And listen to the music of the night._

_Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dream!_

He was beautiful, Christine thought as he gave her his hand. He gently pulled her onto the shore with him, pausing only for a moment to caress her cheek before slowly leading her up to the higher landing of the lair.

The part of his face that was exposed was devilishly handsome, the blue-gray eyes shining like pools of water, holding in them strength, passion, trust, love….and desire. For some reason that last emotion didn't cause her any distress, didn't cause her to panic or question his intentions. Instead it sent a warm tingle through her body and she couldn't help but shiver.

_Leave the thoughts of life you knew before!_

_Close your eyes and let your spirit start to soar_

_And you'll live, as you've never lived before._

_Softly, deftly…_

They stood by his organ now; her small, delicate hand still in his leather gloved one. Her eyes were fastened to his and he noticed the shiver that ran through her body. A small smile crept to his face. She was so much a woman and yet still so much like a child.

_Music shall caress you_

_Hear it, feel it_

_Secretly posses you_

_Open up your mind; let your fantasies unwind…_

Christine watched him walk behind the organ, his eyes never leaving hers, never breaking the intricate spell he was weaving with his voice. The candles that lit the stone walled lair glistened off the ivory white mask that hid the right side of his face and caused shadows to dance along the walls like fairies. His movements were slow and precise, each step calculated before he took it, each stride long and determined.

_In this darkness that you know your cannot fight_

_The darkness of the music of the night…_

_Let your mind_

_Start a journey through a strange new world…_

She looked radiant in the shadow of the candlelight. Her white nightgown which revealed much and yet left much unknown, seemed to turn a golden yellow with the reflection of the candles. Her eyes followed his, her mouth slightly opened, almost as if she were trying to grasp the sensations flowing within her.

His voice grew more powerful.

_Leave all the thoughts of the life you knew before_

_Let your soul take you where you long to be!_

_Only then can you belong to me…_

He was beside her again, barely a breath between their bodies. With his last line he reached out and gently caressed the curve of her jaw with his gloved hand, noticing that even with that barrier between them he could feel how heated her flesh was. Her chest rose and fell, almost in rhythm with his own breathing.

Taking her hand in his he slowly turned her around and pressed himself up against her. She molded perfectly to his body, her head settling comfortably on his shoulder. He could almost hear her blood boiling, and was sure she could hear his own

_Floating, falling_

_Sweet intoxication…_

She felt his hands on her body, but made no move to stop him. His right hand ran down the length of her hip as his left came down to take her left hand in his, slowly bringing it up towards his face. She let her head fall back against his shoulder as his right hand moved over her stomach, gently caressing her, sending small needle pricks of pleasure through her body.

_Touch me, trust me_

_Savor each sensation _

_Let the dream begin_

_Let your darker side give in…_

He let go of her then, knowing if he didn't the desire ragging within him would overpower all logic. Instead he took a gentle hold on her hand and lead her down into the next landing of his lair. He was mesmerized by the way her hair seemed to flow about her as she moved and the way the splits on her nightgown parted with each step to reveal a perfect, smooth, white thigh beneath it. Her breathing was ragged now, her chest heaving and falling in an even quicker pace then his own.

_To the power of the music that I write—_

_The power of the music of the night!_

_You along can make my song take flight, _

_Help me make the music of the night…_

The finale note of the song seemed to hang in the air as he stopped them at the entrance to his bedchamber. He hadn't meant for them to end up here….his original plan was to show her the dress he had made, a dress he had labored over in hopes and dreams. Why they stood here, on the threshold of something unknown he did not know.

He turned to her, her hand still in his, and softly whispered her name. "Christine…."

She closed her eyes, as if the sound of her name coming from his lips was like a sweet melody and then she reopened them, and from their depths radiated passion and desire. She bought her free hand up to the unmasked side of his face and she gently ran her finger tips over his cheek and to the curve of his jaw, her eyes following her movements. When her hand came to rest on his shoulder she looked back into his eyes and with the barest of breaths whispered, "My sweet angel."

In that second she pulled him down to her, their bodies crushing together as their lips met. At first he didn't know how to react, truly not expecting her to act on the desires he had seen ragging within her eyes. But as her lips lingered on his he tightened his grip on her, bringing their bodies so close that no air was left in between them. Her hands snaked their way into his slicked back hair, quickly disheveling it as they massaged and gripped it.

Their kiss deepened and when she felt his tongue gently brush across her lips she willingly opened up for him, and gave a soft gasp as he explored her mouth. She felt a longing in her body she could not define, although she knew its source. She had only heard the other chorus girls talk of this thing, and it had frightened her. Only now as she was held in the Phantom's arms she wasn't afraid….no, she was curious to discover what would make the throb go away, how to quince the thirst…..

He himself had never known to joys of the flesh. His life had made sure of that. But he held a woman in his arms now, a woman who he loved and who he believed loved him, and she was letting him touch her, kiss her, caress her. It was almost too much for him to take. He moaned deep within his throat as their kiss deepened, their tongue's dancing in the age old dance, and as their bodies responded to each other.

When he broke the kiss she gave a small gasp as she felt his arousal against her stomach but she didn't recoil from it. "Love me," she whispered breathlessly instead, pushing herself up against him, her body shivering as the emotions of passion ran through her. In one swift movement he had her in his arms, carrying her towards the swan bed…..

Erik jerked awake as the grandfather clock announced the beginning of a new day. At first he didn't understand where he was. He had just been upstairs with Christine, her in his arms, begging him to love her…..

And then it all came back.

He gave a soft cry of anger and shoved the sheet music he had been working on to the floor. Dream, it had all been a dream…..a dream to remind him of what he had once had, that he had almost known true happiness. Angst coursing through his blood he picked up a candlestick and slung it at the wall, thriving as the pure gold shattered with the force of the throw, falling into a hundred pieces on the stone floor…..the pieces of his heart.

The tears flowed freely now, gently splashing onto the back of his hands. She had been everything to him, all he had ever wanted. She had been his….she had given him her love with the promise of a future….but that had all been taken away from him, all in the name of a love that had never existed…..

Gritting his teeth he pounded on the ivory keys of the organ, the anger flowing from his heart through his fingers and into the keys. From the old organ came a dark and pitiful sound, the notes almost groaning as the composer pounded, his heart pouring into it….

The organ played the music of a broken heart.

Author's Note: This is my first Phantom of the Opera fanfic and my second stab at a fanfic. I hope you enjoyed and please R&R….'tis the only way to keep the story going! . And I accept all constructed cristism so if you find something wrong tell me! Although I'd perfer you email rather then review with it...

In the next chapter…..

A young girl seeks shelter at the Opera house.

A dark past is kept secret.


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